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It's clear that the year-plus Bright Eyes's Conor Oberst took between 2005's widely acclaimed I'M WIDE AWAKE, IT'S MORNING (and the simultaneously released DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN) and 2007's CASSADAGA was well spent. The product of intensive ... Full Descriptionstudio time, a crack assembly of musicians, and lavish, lovely production and arrangements, CASSADAGA stands as one of Bright Eyes' most confident and consistent works.
The album throws together genres--folk, country, rock, pop--and coats it all in a gauzy dressing of strings, harmonies, and high-end atmospherics. Yet at the center of it all is still Obert's songwriting: witty, emotive, literate, and replete, this time out, with references to the expanse and grandeur of America as a playing field for life, love, and politics. At times reflective, at times rousing, CASSADAGA plays like a sweet pop dream, and adds another notch to Bright Eyes' already impressive discography.
Composer: Conor Oberst.
Bright Eyes: Conor Oberst (guitar); Mike Mogis (12-string guitar); Nate Walcott (electric piano).
Personnel: Hassan Lemtouni, Sean Foley, Gillian Welch, Andy LeMaster, Rachael Yamagata, Jake Bellows, Ted Stevens, Sherri DuPree, Stacy DuPree, Z Berg (vocals); David Rawlings, M. Ward (guitar); Anton Patzner (violin); Sarah Wass (flute); David Moyer, Brian Walsh (bass clarinet); Myka Miller (oboe); Stephanie Drootin, Tim Luntzel, Dan McCarthy (bass instrument); Shane Aspegren, Janet Weiss, Maria Taylor, Jason Boesel (drums); Dan Fliegel, Dan Bitney, Michael Zerang, Clark Baechle, Jonathan Crawford (percussion); John McEntire (electronics); Suzie Katayama, Bill Meyers.Rolling Stone (p.61) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] remarkable love songs....[Oberst] shows he can still tell us something by communing with himself."
Rolling Stone (p.108) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "Oberst's loose, memorable tunes and lyrics about crises both personal and global are consistently engaging..."
Spin (p.89) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Oberst's countryish genre studies have deepened with a very adult loneliness."
Entertainment Weekly (p.72) - "Musically, it's his richest album yet, full of Nashville twang and Branson brassiness. And lyrically, the itinerant-traveler conceit is intriguing..." -- Grade: B
Q (p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The strapping, clear-headed coherence of 'Four Winds' is echoed throughout the album....At long last his star is born."
Alternative Press (p.150) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] ambitious string arrangements and swinging instrumentation that echo great '70s works by Joe Cocker and Elton John."
CMJ (p.6) - "[H]e offers some of the most polished country-folk of his 14-year career. His lyrical acuity is in tact..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.49) - "With sweeping string sections almost reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins, psychedelic pop structures, political protest poetics and dusty country production....[His] most opulent work yet."
Q (Magazine) (p.80) - Ranked #23 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "Conor Oberst has made his most assured album to date..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "CASSADAGA is an album to warm souls, rally minds and break hearts in equal measure." Hide Description Bright Eyes Cassadaga Songs Purchase Cassadaga CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | VH1 Presents The Corrs Live In Dublin CD (2002)
Cassadaga album
 $11.59  
This audio document of The Corrs' Dublin homecoming concert has pretty much everything fans of Irish pop could wish for, including an appearance from Bono in his earthly incarnation, fresh from an audience with President George W. Bush. It's to the band's credit that the charismatic singer fails to steal the show, despite creditable efforts via an anthemized version of Ryan Adams' beautifully downtempo "When the Stars Go Blue," and a great, leering rendition of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine."
Somewhat more mysteriously, Rolling Stone Ron Wood also turns up on what sounds dangerously close to a lounge version of ...
| | Bright Eyes Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground CD (2002)
Cassadaga CD music
$9.89  
Nebraskan singer/songwriter Conor Oberst began combining troubadourism with emo rock at a ridiculously early age, inspired by the older, more literate Nebraska cult hero Simon Joyner (whose huge influence is somehow always overlooked by journalists). Recording prolifically for local indie label Saddle Creek, Oberst (as Bright Eyes, with or without accompaniment) gradually refined his Neil Young-with-ADD sound over the years. LIFTED OR THE STORY IS IN THE SOIL...is his most ambitious outing ...
| | Arcade Fire Funeral CD (2004)
Cassadaga music CDs
$12.25
Favorably compared to the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Broken Social Scene, the Arcade Fire's sound seems to come from a lifetime of listening to the Cure, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and many others--even a dose of soul gets worked into these grand anthems. Chassagne delivers some spellbinding vocals on "Haiti," while the tinkling piano and strings on "Crown of Love" conjure up a heartbroken surfside prom. In 2004, this made many critics' year-end lists, and it's no wonder--the songs on FUNERAL are so packed with unique instrumentation, ...
| | Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning CD (2005)
Cassadaga songs
$10.59
In early 2005, young indie icon Conor Oberst (AKA Bright Eyes) unveiled two full-length albums--I'M WIDE AWAKE, IT'S MORNING and DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN. Whereas the latter proved to be a departure into electronic music, the former sticks to Oberst's established sound, which combines the urgency and heart-on-the-sleeve sentiment of emo-rock with twangy, down-home feel of alt-country and folk music.
I'M WIDE AWAKE begins with Oberst telling a story that morphs into "At the Bottom of Everything," a jangly, upbeat tune featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James on backing vocals. Throughout the record, Oberst reaches ...
| | My Morning Jacket Z CD (2005)
Cassadaga album
$15.19
My Morning Jacket's fourth full-length outing, Z, marked significant changes for the Louisville, Kentucky-based band. Prior to the album's recording, MMJ lost and replaced two of its original members. In addition, the group left the comfort zone of its hometown for Z's sessions, opting for studio work in upstate New York with veteran British producer John Leckie. ...
| | Arcade Fire Neon Bible CD (2007)
Cassadaga CD music
$12.59 
Almost three years after the Arcade Fire's 2004 full-length debut, FUNERAL, stunned indie-rock fans with its majestic scope and romantic ferocity, the Montreal-based ensemble returned with NEON BIBLE. Although the album lacks the from-out-of-nowhere punch of the former record, it serves as a fitting successor, with the group's sweeping sound enhanced ...
| | Alejandro Escovedo Bourbonitis Blues CD (1999)
Cassadaga music CDs
$10.75 
Alejandro Escovedo has an impressive resume: he was a member of one of the first San Francisco punk bands, the Nuns, and was in one of the early country-punk bands, Rank & File, as well as the under-rated Austin roots-rockers the True Believers. He's related to both Pete Escovedo and Sheila E, and on his WITH THESE HANDS (Rykodisc) album, ...
| | Char-Rock Bad Company's Coming CD (1998)
Cassadaga songs
$12.65
| | Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens CD (1998) (Import) England
Cassadaga album
$16.95
| | Teruo Nakamura Unicorn CD (2004) (Import) England; United Kingdom
Cassadaga CD music
$21.65
| | Kings Of Leon Aha Shake Heartbreak CD (2006) (Import) Bonus CD; Australia; Japan
Cassadaga music CDs
$15.75
Kings of Leon's blend of bluesy raunch, countrified inflections, streamlined Strokes-like guitar jams, sleepy psychedelia, and post-punk stylings is a fresh, yet somehow familiar, cocktail. AHA SHAKE HEARTBREAK, the band's sophomore effort, follows closely on the heels of the honky-tonk rock of their debut, but it pushes the whole even further into unexpected territory. While ...
| | At No End Building The Rebellion CD (2006)
Cassadaga songs
$9.59
| | Henry Gross One Hit Wanderer CD (2007)
Cassadaga album
$13.29
| | Sugarcubes Stick Around For Joy CD (2007) (Import)
Cassadaga CD music
$19.69
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Cassadaga Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)  this disc has been spinning in my cd player for months
You know this album starts off really strange. After the first song it goes in a completely different direction. I wasn't too impressed with the beginning song, but after that it gets way better every song is fantastic! The lyrics are the some of the best i have ever heard. This man is a great lyricist, and i really enjoyed his older material. My other favorite is digital ash in a digital urn. What a great record only to be topped by this album. Cassadaga is a very mesmurizing album it will put you into a trance. This artist is one to watch for sure, and i hope albums to come will display his talents even more!
Submitted by Westonnixon89 (altoona iowa usa)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Great Album, even greater performances.
I've listened to this album countless numbers of times and I still enjoy every song on it. I too saw Bright Eyes in concert and he came out wearing the white suit with his long brown hair and played mostly songs off of Cassadaga.
But I also attended the last concert of the tour (in NYC) and the old Conor was back! Semi-tight pants, regular T-shirt, SHORT HAIR, and of course, quite a few cups of beer. He mixed up the song list quite a bit, playing old favorites such as Lover I Don't Have To Love (the crowd went crazy), Lua, and many others that I can't think of at the moment. Anyway, it was an amazing concert and I recommend anyone, all ages, to go see one of his performances AND BUY THIS CD!
Submitted by Eve (Warminster, PA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Never ceases to amaze
I saw Bright Eyes in concert the other night, and nearly every song from CASSADAGA was played (except, unfortunately Coat Check Dream Song, a beautiful and psychedelic song). I was in awe through the whole show. I expected to see an earnest kid singing his heart out in a sweatshirt and jeans. Instead this grand, very-long-haired, adult came out in a full white suit, though he still certainly sang his heart out. He was so endearing! The concert was epic, the CD is epic, and anyone with a hunger for sincerity and truth should buy this album. I can't stop listening to it.
Submitted by Ashley (Battle Ground, WA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Excellent
Arguably his most sophisticated work yet, these songs are beginning to sound more like a growing artist rather than a depressed twentysomething somewhere in Middle America. Listen to Cleanse Song and you will feel better no matter what.
Submitted by Joey (Anytown, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Goddam
Best album to date,
BUY IT
Submitted by Chris J (Ringwood, NJ)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you heard this album? |  |
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